Lancaster County Commissioner Joshua Parsons has accused Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro of deceptive framing concerning two reported measles-associated deaths, stating that the county coroner has no record of fatalities directly caused by the disease. The dispute arises as Pennsylvania grapples with its largest measles outbreak in decades, with 460 confirmed cases across 31 counties as of Friday.
During a press conference earlier this week, Governor Shapiro announced the two measles-associated deaths, emphasizing that the individuals were unvaccinated. "Today, we see the consequences of a lack of immunizations in the first measles-associated deaths that our Commonwealth has seen in 35 years," Shapiro stated at the time. He urged Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated, asserting that "This illness and death from measles is completely preventable."
However, Commissioner Parsons challenged the governor's presentation, suggesting that the deaths were not directly caused by measles. "The governor, in the press conference, they said they were measles-associated deaths, but it was framed, and very much the underlying assertion to it, was that these were measles deaths," Parsons told Fox News Digital. He noted that national media outlets, such as The New York Times, reported the deaths as being directly from measles.
Parsons claimed that his conversations with the Lancaster County Coroner indicated zero reported measles deaths or measles-associated deaths within the county for the current year. He stated that Pennsylvania law requires deaths from contagious diseases to be reported to the county coroner.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in a statement, clarified its use of the term "measles-associated." The department asserted that it consistently used this terminology, which signifies the presence of laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles, even if the disease is not the assessed immediate cause of death. "That term means laboratory or epidemiologic evidence of measles is present — in both cases there was a positive measles test — but the disease may not be assessed by the medical certifier or coroner to be the immediate cause of death," the statement read.
According to Parsons, the coroner reported one case involving an infant who died at home. While measles was present in the infant, the coroner and pathologist did not believe measles was the cause of death, which they identified as a lacerated spleen. Parsons added that no information has been received about a second individual mentioned by the governor and the health department.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also criticized Shapiro's announcement, calling it "unseemly" and a "performance" that echoed a "COVID playbook" of fearmongering. Kennedy stated on X that the announcement appeared premature and that the deaths might have been fabricated, citing the coroner's lack of records.
The outbreak in Pennsylvania is the nation's largest since 1991, according to CDC data. The majority of infected individuals in the state are unvaccinated. Parsons highlighted that a significant portion of the outbreak is concentrated within religious communities, such as the Amish and Mennonites, many of whom opt out of vaccinations. He emphasized that vaccination is an individual choice.
Governor Shapiro's office referred Fox News Digital to the Pennsylvania Department of Health for comment. The New York Times expressed confidence in the accuracy of its reporting.